1.FSV MAINZ 05 II
DECEMBER 2025
Founded: Mar 16, 1905
Club Members: 27,000
Nickname: Karnevalverein
Coach: Benjamin Hoffmann
Captain: TBC
Landespokal Südwest Winner: 5
Website: www.mainz05.de
The history of Mainz's under-23 team is strongly intertwined with the fortunes of the senior side, having risen to higher league levels when the first team started to enjoy 2. Bundesliga and Bundesliga success. The senior side was a long-term member of the Oberliga Südwest from 1945, then a tier one league, to 1963 when the Bundesliga was introduced. Mainz did not qualify for the Bundesliga but played in the tier two Regionalliga Südwest instead. When the 2. Bundesliga was formed the club joined this league in 1974. Mainz played at this level for two seasons before disappearing into amateur football for 12 years. From 1990 the club reestablished itself in professional football and has been playing there since.
The reserve side, in the early years after the Second World War, played mostly in local amateur football. It rose to the tier three Amateurliga Südwest for a season in 1957–58 but came last and was promptly relegated again. It dropped through the 2. Amateurliga Rheinhessen as well but made a return to this league in 1973, being relegated again in 1977. It returned to what had now become the Bezirksliga Rheinhessen in 1981 for three seasons. After this the team did not make another appearance in the higher amateur leagues again until the late 1990s, having been disbanded for a time in between.[1]
In 1996 the club, freshly promoted to the Bezirksliga Rheinhessen (VII), won a league title and promotion, followed by a championship in the Landesliga Südwest-Ost (VI) in 1997. It entered the Verbandsliga Südwest (V) for two seasons before another title in 1999 took the team up to the Oberliga.[1]
The club spent the next four seasons in the Oberliga Südwest as a top of the table side, culminating in a second-place finish in 2002 and a league championship the year after.[2] The later took the side to the side to the tier three Regionalliga Süd where it experienced two difficult seasons before being relegated again in 2005.[3] In this era the club also saw five consecutive South West Cup wins from 2001 to 2005, a competition the team has been barred from like all reserve sides in Germany, following a rule change in 2008. Each of those cup wins entitled the club to enter the German Cup where it was knocked out in the first round at each occasion.
Another three good seasons in the Oberliga Südwest followed in which Mainz 05 II finished third, second and, eventually in 2008, league champions again.[2] This time promotion took the club up to the Regionalliga West, a newly introduced league that was formed alongside the introduction of the 3. Liga that year. The first season there saw the club come fifth, the following three seasons after that it finished much lower.[4]
Another change in the league system in 2012 saw the introduction of the Regionalliga Südwest, in which Mainz 05 II was now placed. In this league te club came eleventh in its first season there.[5]
The 2013–14 Regionalliga season saw the best performance of the club at this level, finishing third. Because runners-up SC Freiburg II declined the opportunity to take part in the promotion round, choosing not to apply for a 3. Liga license, Mainz received its spot instead.[5] There the team won promotion to the 3. Liga after overcoming Regionalliga Nordost champions TSG Neustrelitz 5–1 on aggregate in the promotion round.
GROUND DETAILS
Ground Name: Bruchwegstadion
Architect: Fiebiger GmbH (1997 - 2004)
Built: 1929
Year Opened: 1929
Renovations: 1947, 1951, 1953, 1965, 1981, 1997, 2002, 2011, 2018
Capacity: 7,134 (2,500 standing)
Record Attendance: 24,000 (1965)
Running Track: No
Floodlights: 1,000 lux
Playing Surface: Natural Grass
Pitch Size: 105m x 68m
Grounds:
Stadion Fort Bingen (1905 - 1937)
Bruchwegstadion (1937 - 2011)
Coface Arena (2011 - 2016)
Opel Arena (2016 - 2021) *
MEWA Arena (2021 - ) *
* Stadium Renamed
The originally municipal Bruchweg Stadium was opened in 1929 on Bretzenheimer Bruchweg (today Dr.-Martin-Luther-King-Weg and Albert-Schweitzer-Straße). Nothing longer exists of the building fabric of that time, consisting of an 80-metre-wide uncovered grandstand, a hard court and a cinder track.
After the loss of the club's own Fort Bingen stadium, the 1st Mainz FSV 05, which had merged with the Reichsbahn-SV Mainz to form the Reichsbahn-SV 05, moved to the Bruchweg Stadium, 500 metres to the north and in the meantime renamed the Herbert Norkus Stadium. After the Second World War, the stadium was not playable for two years. In February 1947, the re-founded association returned to the Bruchweg.
Die alte Gegengerade (2002)
In 1951, the seven-tiered standing terrace was built from rubble, including fragments of Roman gravestones, which will continue to exist in parts into the 21st century. This increased the capacity of the stadium to 20,000 seats. In the 4-1 defeat against 1st FC Kaiserslautern on 12 April 1953, the expanded stadium was sold out for the first time. In 1953, the Bruchweg Stadium was given a grass pitch for the first time. The largest documented number of spectators was reached on 27 February 1965 with 24,000 in the DFB Cup quarter-finals against 1. An additional grandstand was built especially for this game. The next two reconstruction measures were the roofing of the main stand (1965) and the back straight (1981). With the final of the first German women's football championship in 1974, the top match of women's football in Germany took place in Mainz.
At the friendly match against Borussia Mönchengladbach in the summer of 1995, the floodlight system was inaugurated. A little later, the stadium got an electronic scoreboard for the first time.
On the occasion of the great promotion opportunities in 1997, two tubular steel stands were built behind the goals instead of the old curves. For the same reason, the main stand and the back straight were demolished in 2002. A modern grandstand, which accommodates team cabins and the VIP room, as well as another tubular steel grandstand with seating and standing room were built.
After promotion to the Bundesliga in 2004, two more uncovered temporary additional stands, each with 800 seats, were built in addition to the main stand. In addition, the stadium corners next to the back straight were closed with noise barriers. Both the expansion of the short rear stands in 1997 and the extension of the main and back straight were carried out according to plans by Fiebiger GmbH Architekten + Ingenieure under the direction of architect Folker Fiebiger (Kaiserslautern).
The rear stands are to make way for the construction of a new office and more training grounds. [2] After the dismantling of the Molitor stands in June 2011 and the north stand in March 2018, the stadium has a nominal capacity of around 14,600 spectators,[3] and the capacity in the Regionalliga is 7134.[4]
On 7 September 2021, the entire stadium area with the youth performance centre was named Wolfgang Frank Campus am Bruchweg in honour of the former coach of the Mainz 05 professional team Wolfgang Frank (1951–2013). [1]
Due to the planned new construction of the 1st FSV Mainz 05 office at the front of the Bruchweg Stadium, a farewell match for the South Stand took place on 9 September 2023. In the test match, Mainz met MSV Duisburg, with whom Mainz are connected by a long-standing fan friendship.
BUYING TICKETS
Ticket Office:
Website: www.mainz05.de
Telephone: +49 (0) 613 1375500
Email: info@mainz05.de
Average Attendance:
2024-2025: 589 (Regionalliga Südwest)
2023-2024: 535 (Regionalliga Südwest)
2022-2023: 558 (Regionalliga Südwest)
2021-2022: 391 (Regionalliga Südwest) *
2020-2021: N/A *
* Season affected by COVID pandemic
Expected Ticket Availability
Although the club website offers an English Language version, its online ticket shop is not 'Aüslander ' friendly and you'll probably need Google Translate to navigate your way around. Tickets are available in 'Print@Home' or 'Mobile Ticket' flavours (Note: for security reasons, Mobile and Print@Home tickets are not available to purchase for Blocks Q & R in the Lotto Rheinland-Pfalz-Tribüne) and although Mainz won't post match tickets outside Europe, international orders from further afield can be collected at the MEWA Arena's box office (Windows 7-8) from two hours before kick-off.
The Mainzers rarely sell-out and apart from matches against the usual suspects (i.e. Bayern and Dortmund) and local rivals Eintracht Frankfurt, getting hold of a ticket generally isn't an issue. Mainz also operate an official Ticket Exchange site and it's a good place to look if you've been caught out and the sold-out signs have gone up.
Mainz have gone for the simple ABC approach to categorising matches, but decided on no less than 7 different seating classes. Therefore, your ticket price will vary greatly depending on the quality of opposition facing Mainz and where you want to watch the action from. (Very) broadly speaking, for adults, 2025-26 Tageskarten range from €28-76 for seats, and €16 for a place on the terraces with a hike in ticket price and demand when the likes of Bayern München, Borussia Dortmund and Eintracht Frankfurt come to the MEWA Arena. Discounts are available for seniors, students, disabled people, the unemployed and children (aged 7-14 years). Children under 7 years are allowed to watch Mainz for free although they're not entitled to a seat of their own and must sit on a parents' lap -pick up a 'lap ticket' at any of the box offices.
Ticket prices also go up by €1 if bought on a matchday from the stadium box offices which open two hours before kick-off.
The cheapest seats are found in Blocks K,L,M,N & O in the 'Supportbereich ' along the front of the 'Kömmerling-Tribüne' but bear in mind that this is also an additional fan block - so consider spending the extra money to sit in one of the other sectors of the ground if it's a 'neutral' Saturday afternoon you're after.
Information about visiting the MEWA Arena for fans with disabilities can be found at:
www.bundesliga-reisefuehrer.de
GETTING THERE & AWAY
Stadium Address:
Dr Martin Luther King Weg 23,
55122 Mainz
BY CAR:
Coming by car, take the A60 and follow the 'Stadion' signs along the L419/Saarstraße. Please note that you can only access Eugen Salomon Straße (not currently recognised by Sat-Navs !) with a prepaid parking permit for car parks P1 and P6. Otherwise head to the Park & Ride service at Mainzer Messegelände (Genfer Allee, 55129 Mainz) four miles away and take one of the free shuttle buses to and from the stadium. You'll also find free parking at both the University (Ackermannweg, 55128 Mainz) and the old Bruchwegstadion (Dr.-Martin-Luther-King-Weg 15, 55122 Mainz) where 1.FSV Mainz 05 II now play their home matches.
PUBLIC TRANSPORT:
With a match ticket you can ride around on the buses and trains within the Rhine-Nahe-Nahverkehrbundbund (RNN) and Rhine-Main-Verkehrsbund (RMV) transport networks:
- In the RNN area, the combined ticket is valid as a ticket on the entire day of the match
- In the RMV area, the combined ticket is valid from five hours before the start of the match
In both transport associations, your match ticket is valid until 4 a.m. the following day. Remember though that a seperate 'KombiTicket' for use on public transport must be added to your order when buying your match ticket.
The Arena is three miles west of the city centre but on matchdays, free (providing you have a valid match ticket) shuttle buses run from Bussteig S (Bus Stop S) at the Hauptbahnhof and from the Mainzer Messegelände P+R car park (Genfer-Allee, 55129 Mainz) to the Jakob-Heinz-Straße/Arena stop a 15-minute walk from the ground. Otherwise regular trams (Straßenbahn) or buses 51, 53 and 630 head to the stadium from the city centre.
Note that before the game, all trams stop at the Kisselberg, Jakob-Heinz-Straße/Arena and Hochschule Mainz stations. For 45 minutes after the match though, for safety reasons, trams only stop at Kisselberg from where shuttle buses will take you back to the Hauptbahnhof and P+R car parks.
BIKE DIRECTIONS:
An increasingly popular way of travelling to the match in eco-friendly Germany is by bike, and Mainz are no different in encouraging you to 'do your bit' for the environment and improve your health in the process. There are 3000 'bike parking' spaces at the MEWA Arena with promises to further increase capacity.
WALKING DIRECTIONS:
The ground is about three miles from central Mainz and according to Google Maps it will take you nearly an hour to walk there. Use the time to enjoy a few beers and use public transport to get to the ground instead.
FAN SHOP, MUSEUM & STADIUM TOURS
FAN SHOP:
05 Fanshop at MEWA ARENA (MEWA Arena, Eugen-Salomon-Straße 1, 55128 Mainz; 10am-6.30pm, Mon-Fri; 10am-2pm, Sat)
05 Fanshop (Seppel-Glückert-Passage, 55116 Mainz; 10am-6.30pm, Mon-Fri; 10am-4pm, Sat)
There are several fan shops along the concourses and a mobile fanshop - 05ER FANMOBIL - also parks up outside the Haupttribüne (Main Stand) on a matchday.
STADIUM TOURS:
A number of different tours are conducted around the MEWA Arena. Information about them all and how to book can be found here.
FOOD & DRINK OPTIONS
The venerable Bruchwegstadion had been less than a mile from Mainz's Hauptbahnhof and fans enjoyed a pre-match drink at many of the pubs that lined the route to the stadium. The MEWA Arena however is built in the middle of nowhere, standing in splendid isolation on a greenfield site that looks even more rural than the three mile distance from the city centre would suggest - so bring sturdy shoes, particularly in autumn and winter!
The only option for food and drink once you have left the city centre is the official fan village just outside the ground where the usual fast food options (bratwurst, burgers etc) are available. You can also satisfy your hunger and thirst pangs inside the arena and everything can be settled using contactless payment methods including Apple Pay and Google Pay on smartphones. The official beer is Bitburger and, at the last home game of a season, it's not unheard of for the remaining stocks to be sold off at €1 a pint. Prost !
STORAGE OF BACKPACKS & BAGS
Bags larger than 30x30x15 cm (approx A4) are not allowed into the stadium and will have to go in one of two storage containers - one is behind the Lotto Rheinland Pfalz Tribüne and the other can be found between the Gemünden Bau Hauptribüne and Ost Tribüne in the north-east corner of the ground. They open two hours before the start of the match, although you should be prepared for queues and the advice is to avoid bringing oversized luggage in the first place.
OTHER CLUBS IN THE AREA
BUNDESLIGA: 1.FSV 05 Mainz, Eintracht Frankfurt
BUNDESLIGA 2: 1.FC Kaiserslautern, Karlsruher SC, SV Darmstadt 98, SV Elversberg
3.LIGA: 1. FC Saarbrücken, SV Waldhof Mannheim, SV Wehen Wiesbaden
